Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca reveals Cole Palmer wasn’t at 100% ahead of the 5-1 win at West Ham due to a groin issue.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Cole Palmer didn’t play against West Ham due to a groin issue. Palmer, who has been a key player for Chelsea, was not at 100% fitness ahead of the match, and Maresca decided not to risk him.

“Cole, in the last four or five days, he was not 100 per cent,” Maresca said after the game.

The midfielder attempted to participate in the warm-up but felt something in his groin, prompting Maresca to err on the side of caution. “Today, he tried in the warm-up but he felt something so we preferred to not take any risks,” Maresca explained.

The extent of Palmer’s injury is still unknown, and the club will assess the situation in the coming hours.

Palmer’s absence was noticeable in Chelsea’s 5-1 win over West Ham, with 18-year-old Estevao Willian taking his place in the starting lineup. Despite going behind early in the game thanks to Lucas Paqueta’s goal, Chelsea fought back with a strong performance, scoring five goals through Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Trevoh Chalobah.

The win marked Chelsea’s first victory of the new Premier League season, and Maresca’s men will be looking to build on this momentum in their upcoming matches. However, they will need to do so without Palmer if his injury turns out to be serious.

For now, Maresca’s priority is to assess the severity of Palmer’s injury and determine the best course of action to ensure his star player’s swift recovery. With a packed fixture schedule ahead, Chelsea will need Palmer to be fit and firing on all cylinders to achieve their goals.